He insisted that the United Nations study was not politically motivated.

“The study was commissioned by Unicef from the United Nations out of concern for children.

“Second, it was conducted by local experts who has served with Khazanah, a body under the purview of the Finance Ministry and international experts,” said Raja Bahrin who first brought up the topic in Parliament last week.

Yesterday, Mahdzir expressed scepticism about the report in Dewan Rakyat, especially since Malaysia was compared unfavorably to Ghana.

He also said he has not received any reports from schools or teachers regarding hungry children.

Raja Bahrin, who is Kuala Terengganu MP, said Mahdzir is out of touch with reality as Malaysia no longer have the same standing on the global stage, while many African countries are well on the road of development.